Ba Na Hills SunWorld is a resort and theme park outside Da Nang, Vietnam. It has the tagline ‘The Journey Through Fairy Kingdom’ – and it turned out to be a magical day out.
We first learned about this place through images of the amazing Golden Bridge – which looks like it’s being held up by giant hands. We didn’t know too much about it in advance of our visit, because it is generally only known for the Golden Bridge and the Ba Na Hills cable car, which takes you up to this hilltop location.
What we discovered was a whole fantasy kingdom, incredible worlds inspired by France, Bavaria, and by a weird melange of influences from around the world. Ba Na Hills is both fantastical and bizarre, and we could not have had a more enjoyable day – much to our surprise.
We are not at all theme park kind of people, but we had a great day at Ba Na Hills and would definitely recommend it!
- How to get to Ba Na Hills SunWorld
- Guide to The Ba Na Hills SunWorld Theme Park
- Dining at Ba Na Hills
- Is SunWorld Ba Na Hills Worth Visiting?
How to get to Ba Na Hills SunWorld
Ba Na Hills is a 40 minute drive from Da Nang. You can easily take a Grab (the SE Asian version of Uber) for around 350-380k VND (£10/$15). We ordered one in advance for 7am, as we wanted to arrive nice and early (before the tour buses got there)!
Getting back is easy, as there are lots of Grab vehicles waiting around for a return fare. We paid about 315k VND (£9/$12) for the return trip.
Should you get a tour?
No – the tours arrive later, have to go through the same queues as other travellers do, and you are restricted to the timings of the tour instead of your own energy levels. Visiting independently is definitely the cheapest and most flexible option. The place is huge, and you want to be able to do things at your own pace.
Guide to The Ba Na Hills SunWorld Theme Park
Tickets and Arriving – Land of the Earth
Tickets
We purchased our tickets via Get Your Guide the day before our visit. The tickets are available via various online vendors, as well as at the gate. I chose GYG because I have the app and it was easy to pay without putting my credit card details into yet another website.
When we arrived at the Land of the Earth (the name given to the entry complex), there was no one in the queue for tickets (8am on a Saturday in mid-January). However, it was clear that it does get hugely busy (with the capacity for hundreds to be queuing at once), so buying your tickets online in advance is a good idea.
Arriving at the site
Our Grab driver dropped us off at the allotted carpark, which was mostly empty. From there, you take a shuttle bus up to the entrance complex. You do the reverse journey when you leave, and all the Grab drivers congregate here.
There are overspill carparks and it was clear that it has been built to grow in numbers considerably!
Amenities
The entry complex is huge in itself, so prepare to walk a fair distance just to get to the cable car. There are actually a number of cable cars that arrive into this facility, and they have the capacity to control the flow of the crowds to wherever they need to clear queues.
You’ll walk past the ticket desks, past the huge welcome gate, over some water features, and via some souvenir and food shops before getting to the main cable car. There are also toilets along the way.
It’s at this point that you will show your ticket. If you have purchased a senior or concession ticket, you’ll have to provide ID at this stop. You will have your photo taken by the ticket gates as you enter.
Accommodation At Ba Na Hills – the Mercure
There is only one hotel up in Ba Na Hills (at this stage). The Mercure Hotel is set across many buildings up at the top of the hill, and the only way to get there is to go by cable car.
The various buildings that make up the Mercure Hotel are named after cities in France – Hôtel de Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Marseille.
We had pondered staying up there for one night, in order to take advantage of the empty park before it opened to the public, but decided the cost wasn’t worth it. It would be quite fun though!
The Ba Na Hills Cable Car
Ba Na Hills is 1,500 metres above sea level, so the only way to reach it is by cable car. Ba Na Hills holds the world record for the longest non-stop single track cable car, at 5,801 metres (19,032 ft) in length, and there are 7 cable cars across the site.
There are 3 main cable cars that go all the way to the top, as well as shorter ones between different parts of the park, so they have flexibility with which ones run depending on the numbers in the park.
The main one, that runs from Hoi An Station to Marseille Station (for the Golden Bridge), takes around 20 minutes, and offers such incredible views of the surrounding hills – but only if it’s a sunny day! We ascended in the sun, and descended into thick fog.
Because of the elevation, bad weather can roll in pretty quickly, so be sure to bring layers to wear.
Land of the Moon – Lower Section (B2)
The Land of the Moon is split into two sections – the lower section includes the Golden Bridge, a Buddha Statue, the Garden of Love (Jardin d’Amour), the Debay Wine Cellar, and Linh Uni Pagoda.
We only visited the Golden Bridge and walked some of the gardens in this section, as the other parts were completely engulfed in cloud by the time we came back down to see them. Luckily we had enjoyed views over this area from the viewpoints above and from the cable car.
Golden Bridge
One of the most photographed spots in Vietnam, the Golden Bridge is the first stop as you leave the Marseille cable car station. You pass through a hall of food stalls, and follow the signs for the bridge. The view from underneath as you arrive by cable car is pretty cool too!
As you walk out to the bridge, it really is as impressive as it looks. The satisfying golden curve of the metal, against the grey merle of the giant hands is quite captivating. You can really see why it is a sought-after shot!
The bridge itself is 150 metres (500 ft) and is held up with real supports (the hands are just for effect). It offers incredible views over the nearby hills and the cable car that brought you up.
We arrived at the bridge at around 8:30am on a Tuesday, and you can see it is busy, but not crowded in the first 3 photos. The last photo is from 2pm, as we were heading back down the mountain – you can see it is packed!
If you stay at the Mercure overnight, you can visit the bridge an hour or so prior to opening time (8am)… although if the hotel is busy, the bridge will be too.
Land of the Sun
The Land of the Sun is the most activity-packed area of the resort, and naturally where all roads lead to. Here you will find the Alpine Coasters, Medieval Fair, the French Village, lots of restaurants and cafes, the Mercure hotel complex, plazas for performances, and much more.
You reach the Land of the Sun by way of a cable car from Bordeaux Station (near Golden Bridge) to Louvre Station. Here you will pass through a hall with amenities such as massage chairs, bathrooms, and street food carts.
It is here we had one of the best Banh Mi’s of our entire time in Vietnam. Yes, it was a surprise to us too. While it was double the price of your usual street cart Banh Mi, it had the perfect crunch, an incredible spiced pâté and good quality ingredients. Food in Vietnam is incredible, and competition is fierce, but you can expect some good options up here at Ba Na Hills.
You’ll emerge at Union Square and Solar Castle, with the Alpine coasters to your right, and routes up to the French Village ahead.
Alpine Coasters
There are three alpine coasters that leave near the exit of the Louvre cable car station.
They twist and turn in a spaghetti junction of routes down the hill and it’s quite the sight!
Alpine coasters are gravity-powered 1 or 2-person carts that run down a rail. There aren’t that many actual rides here at Ba Na Hills – it’s more of a fun-fair vibe than a theme park.
French Village & Forever Square
Ba Na Hills is heavily inspired by Europe. As you wind your way up the hill, you’ll find Forever Square – a cobblestone square with medieval-style buildings (the Mercure), and Saint Denis Church (a generic nod to French churches, but none specifically).
Forever Square hosts regular pop-up shows, promoting the acts of the bigger shows or just keeping people entertained. We saw can-can dancers, jugglers and acrobatics.
Walking into the French Village is a trip (because we live in France) – is it was both familiar and surreal at the same time. There was similarity, architectural nods, and faux timbre framing, but it was more of a cute homage than an accurate copy.
In saying that, it was hilarious and fun to go all the way to Vietnam to end up back in a place that looks a lot like our village at home!
Summit with Pagoda
As you climb out of the French Village, you reach the summit garden. This terraced garden, pagoda and tea-house is at the summit of the hill, and is strikingly out of place amongst the imitation Europe surrounding it.
There are 170 steps up to the summit (1487m), through manicured gardens and gigantic squirrel statues. Why giant squirrels? I have no idea… but they are huge and weird and so funny.
Medieval Fair
As you start back down the hill, you will reach the Medieval Fair. This area is full of fairground games, bumper cars and a carousel – great for those travelling with kids.
There are concessions everywhere at Ba Na Hills, so this is where we stopped for souvenirs, as it was a lot quieter than other areas.
There is a cable car that leaves from this end of the car, but it was closed on our visit. The whole park is set up to expand, and we saw lots of building work happening over to the east of the site. But, remarkably, it doesn’t impact the open parts or the enjoyment – it is isolated very well and is exciting to see how this already huge park will get bigger in the future.
Ba Na Brew House
Sunworld have a very clever way to ensure people move all the way through the park, and don’t just see the Golden Bridge and then leave. They offer a free beer from the Ba Na Brew House. Over between the Medieval Village and the French Village, is a plaza of beer-related things – a restaurant and a full (huge) brewery. This technique worked well to drive us to explore this side of the park!
This Bavarian-inspired beer hall has waiters in lederhosen and waitresses in dirndls, and those big long tables from which to dine and drink. If being in France in Vietnam wasn’t trippy enough, being in Bavaria in Vietnam pushes you over the edge.
The voucher we received as we arrived offered us two free beers each or some fries – so with two vouchers we got 2 beers and 1 fries – and it was a nice snack on our way round the park.
helios Fountain
The Helios Fountain links Bavaria to a French rose garden – such a whimsical segway. This grand cascade is apparently based off the fountains at the Peterhof Palace in St Petersburg, which were, in turn, inspired by Versailles. Ba Na Hills really is a melange!
To top it off, while the jets spray and the cascade falls down towards golden horse statues, music is pumped through speakers up the stairs either side. But it’s not classical music and the jets don’t spray in time to it, as the Versaille fountains do. It’s modern dance music instead – possibly one of the more jarring aspects of this place.
That’s not to say it’s not a very cool fountain – it is. And I actually love the kitschy hodgepodge of homages at Ba Na Hills – it’s the most surreal place!
Don’t miss the view from the terrace in front of the rose garden – the view over the Alpine Coasters is amazing!
Land of the Moon – Upper Section (B1)
After doing the loop of Land of the Sun, we then went on to enjoy the upper section of Land of the Moon, which includes the fake Louvre (Eclipse Plaza), Lunar Castle, 4D theatre experiences, a funicular, the big pink Bavarian castle, and the Atlas Statue.
If you’ve never visited the Louvre, this homage is a pretty impressive one. They have a circular version of the Louvre’s glass pyramid entrance hall. They have grand alleys of columns and statues, and lots of grandeur.
It is both reminiscent of the Louvre, yet not at all like the Louvre. This is at the same level as the Louvre cable car station, and includes the Four Seasons Buffet Restaurant and the zig-zagged ‘Lava Road’ that winds down the hill adjacent to the Alpine Coasters.
Funicular
Near to the first cafe outside of the Louvre cable car station is the entrance to the Funicular, which takes you down the hill to Lunar Castle. It’s a really cute transport option and is exactly like many we’ve experienced in Europe.
Greeting you at the Lunar Castle end are wizard statues and a moon / night sky-themed complex. There are some games, cafeterias and souvenirs here, but not much. Then there are some 4D immersive cinema experiences, which are the main attractions.
Lava Castle + Atlas Statue
Outside, you’ll find some fantastic views of Lava Castle, dubbed Pink Castle for obvious reasons. It is a little French, a little Bavarian, and a lot Harry Potter (so, umm, Scottish?). It is apparently being turned into a 5-star McGallery hotel, so that will definitely be a reason to return – because it is the most prominent and striking building on the hilltop.
Below Lava Castle, an amazing Atlas Statue ‘holds up’ the hilltop. The scale truly is very impressive, and they have made the concrete structure look very realistic – although I didn’t venture too close, in fear of having my illusions shattered.
The scale of this whole resort is wild, it is seriously huge. You can see from the various angles below that Atlas is two stories high and has a staircase built into it!
To experience an afternoon, sunset and night show, they offer Ba Na By Night – from 3pm to 10pm – where you can enjoy a visit, watch the sunset, eat a meal, and a take in a show!
Dining at Ba Na Hills
There are so many dining options at Ba Na Hills – from street food vendors to buffets and bistros, here are just a few of the options.
- Gemination – Highly rated spot within Ba Na Hills with a fusion menu and bar options, perfect for relaxed dinners after exploring the French Village.
- Four Seasons Buffet Restaurant (Ba Na Hills) – Large buffet offering a wide range of Vietnamese, Asian, and European dishes (popular with tour groups).
- Little Tokyo in Ba Na Hills – Japanese restaurant serving sushi, sashimi, and other lighter fare.
- Beer Plaza – A lively restaurant with a beer-festival vibe and hearty meals, known for grilled and European-style comfort food.
- Brasserie – Casual eat-in restaurant with Italian and barbecue influences, ideal for families and simple meals.
- L’Etable – French-style dining experience with a more elegant a la carte menu, suitable for a quieter lunch or dinner in the hills.
- SUN BUNS – Ba Na Hills – A smaller spot focusing on casual comfort food like burgers and snack-style bites — good for a quick lunch on the go.
- Rosa Fried Chicken – Near the rose garden, the Rosa building offers a bunch of food options – Rosa Fried Chicken, Rosa Sky Coffee, Starbucks etc.
- Bulgogi Restaurant – A taste of Korean bulgogi in the middle of the French Village.
- Kung Fu Noodle – A casual Vietnamese noodle and soup restaurant.
You will pay above average prices for dining up at Ba Na Hills (70k vnd for a Banh Mi, 200 vnd for a bowl of beef noodle soup, 300 vnd for a buffet), but the items we had were good and it wasn’t a hugely pricey day out for what you got to experience, so we didn’t mind at all.
Is SunWorld Ba Na Hills Worth Visiting?
Despite myself, it is a resounding ‘YES’ from me. I wasn’t expecting to love Ba Na Hills as much as I did. Perhaps it is my love of Surrealist art, or my penchant for absinthe, but the weird and wonderful has always fascinated me.
Don’t go in expecting lots of rides or a Disney kind of experience. It is far more experiential – a resort with whole worlds created in the hilltops. It is both marvellous and ridiculous, and if you love a bit of whimsy, you’ll love it too.
For the price you pay to get in, the cable car trips alone are worth it. The various Ba Na Hills cable cars are some of the best I’ve been on – with sweeping views, different routes, efficient queues and spacious tele-cabins. Descending down into the fog after a sunny day at the top was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had on a gondola!
We will wait a few years and let the next level of construction and accommodation get finished, and then enjoy a return visit with a stay overnight.
Don’t miss a day or two in Da Nang itself! The food in Vietnam is incredible, and we had some of the best in central Vietnam, around Hue and Da Nang.
All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM; and an iPhone.
